Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Haxlr8r Is Looking For A Few Good Hardware Start-Ups To Be Close To The Action

Screen Shot 2012-10-31 at 11.47.46 AMCyril Ebersweiler has launched one of the coolest incubators I've seen in a while. Based in Dalian, China, the incubator has already run one group through the ringer and now they're looking for hardware hackers to join them in their second round. This time, however, they're doing it up nice.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/I1f84avg5zE/

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Monday, October 29, 2012

The Call of the Philanthropist ? Spiritual Beauty Notes

On any given day, Frank Hanna will take a lot of phone calls. Most of the calls pertain to business; some, of course, are personal. And then, occasionally, there are times when the phone rings with a solicitation for charity.

Oftentimes it would be a friend, calling to ask for a donation to a favorite cause. For years, Hanna would listen patiently, agree that the charity indeed sounded worthy, and offer a contribution. He tried to keep the transaction time to a minimum.

But these calls began to bother Hanna. It wasn?t the money. Hanna is a highly successful merchant banker in Atlanta. He could easily afford the donations. And it wasn?t the time. He was good about keeping the calls short.

No, what bothered him was the haphazardness of it all. It seemed so scattershot, so directionless, that it was almost irresponsible. This, he realized, is not how I conduct my business affairs. Why should philanthropy be any different? He would often have occasion to recall F. A. Harper?s remark: ?Giving in many instances is really little more than the cost of peacefully evicting a well-intentioned trespasser.? In any event, this wasn?t at all what philanthropy was supposed to be.

Philanthropy should be approached with the same diligence as business: with an engaged and critical mind. It shouldn?t rely merely on cold calls. It should be undertaken with focus, discipline, and intelligence. At its best, philanthropy could even be a vocation, a Calling.

Just taking calls, he realized, was keeping him from answering the Calling.

***

Since that realization some 20 years ago, Frank Hanna has purposefully pursued the vocation of the philanthropist. Towards that end, he has developed a set of principles for thinking through the theory and practice of effective philanthropic giving. Those carefully wrought principles guide his support for the promotion of cultural renewal, educational opportunity, and his own Catholic faith. Indeed, Hanna is widely regarded as a precise strategic philanthropist, a donor who judiciously directs his funds to the point of maximal impact. In recognition of his long, quiet labors, The Philanthropy Roundtable has selected him as the winner of the 2007 William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership.

The William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership honors living philanthropists whose charitable giving has shown exemplary effectiveness. The Prize celebrates the principles which guided Mr. Simon?s many charitable initiatives, including personal responsibility, resourcefulness, volunteerism, scholarship, individual freedom, faith in God, and helping people to help themselves. The winner of the Prize receives a $250,000 award, payable to the charity of his or her choice. Previous recipients include Richard and Helen DeVos, Dr. Ben Carson, David Robinson, Sir John M. Templeton, Raymond G. Chambers, and the late John T. Walton. Hanna will receive the Prize at the Annual Meeting of The Philanthropy Roundtable, on Friday, November 9th, in Dana Point, California.

***

Frank J. Hanna III is a deeply thoughtful man. He listens to questions attentively, and will often pause and think before replying. When he answers, he speaks in measured and considered sentences, with the honeysuckle drawl of his native Georgia. In conversation, he is equally comfortable discussing finance, philanthropy, philosophy?and baseball.

For Hanna, the idea of philanthropy as a Calling has powerful religious resonance. He and his family are devout Roman Catholics, whose support for the church extends from their local parish to the Vatican. He is a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory, and his work within the church includes his efforts as a Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, a Knight of the Order of Malta, a board member of the Papal Foundation, and a member of Regnum Christi. Through it all, Hanna has also coached little league soccer and basketball, and taught Sunday School.

That same dedication characterizes Hanna?s career. His achievements are extraordinary. He was named a National Merit Scholar and a Truman Scholar before graduating, with First Honors, from the business college of the University of Georgia. He went on to study law at the University of Georgia, where he took his degree, cum laude, in 1986. After a stint as a corporate attorney for Troutman Sanders, LLP, Hanna accepted a position as Group Vice President, Finance and Administration, for Nationwide Credit. In 1989, he co-founded Account Portfolios Management, Inc. In his role as chief executive officer, he oversaw the purchase and management of portfolios of non-performing loans and accounts receivable. Three years later, he founded HBR Capital, Ltd., which he has headed ever since, guiding the firm as it invests in financial services and information-processing enterprises.

***

If you ask Hanna about philanthropy, be prepared for a nuanced disquisition on the nature of property, the legitimate purposes of wealth, and the moral imperatives of the virtuous life. His conclusion, however, is relatively simple. In essence, he believes that people should give away all non-essential wealth within their lifetime.

But what, exactly, constitutes non-essential wealth? The term seems to suggest that some wealth may, in fact, be essential. According to Hanna, essential wealth provides for the fundamentals of life. It includes provision for the bare necessities of life?food, water, shelter?both for ourselves and for those who depend on us. It likewise extends to our genuine needs, things that, though not strictly necessary for survival, nevertheless make life minimally comfortable?eyeglasses, for instance, or dental care. Genuine professional needs count as essential. Even beneficial goods?like traveling abroad or attending the symphony?can qualify as essential, since they genuinely improve us, even if we would still be able to flourish without them, if to a slightly lesser degree. Only once it exists beyond provision for these fundamental needs does wealth become non-essential.

Yet even non-essential wealth has the potential to serve highly productive ends. When actively and intelligently invested, it can lead to the creation of still more wealth?which in turn means more prosperity for more people. When non-essential wealth sits idly, however, earning mere market returns, it can become dangerous. Hanna is willing to explain at length and in detail how such idle, non-essential wealth threatens those who have it, and those whom they love. It can corrupt the soul, breeding arrogance and laziness; it can threaten identities and lead to irrational guilt. It can become a distraction and a frustration; it can destroy a healthy sense of limitation, and delay the resolution of real problems.

For that reason, Hanna recommends as a safeguard against such dangers, donating a regular percentage of one?s wealth to philanthropy. His baseline suggestion is for whichever of these is greatest: either 10 percent of one?s annual increase in net worth, or 10 percent of one?s annual living expenses, or an amount equal to one?s net worth, divided by the number of years that one can reasonably be expected to live.? The proposal tries to approximate the venerable tradition of tithing, which makes relatively modest demands with absolutely regular consistency.

Crucially, Hanna stresses the importance of starting to give immediately. To delay the start of a philanthropic regimen is to beset oneself with problems. For one thing, there is always a reason to hold off for a little while longer. For another, delay denies help to those who need immediate assistance. For still another, delay forecloses the opportunity to teach philanthropy within the family. Starting a philanthropic regimen is like opening a school of virtue, where future heirs may begin to learn the art of giving?while being gently reminded that they have no absolute claim to non-essential wealth.

Resolving to give away non-essential wealth is the first step. Next comes determining how best to do so. It?s a question that has long occupied Hanna?s mind.

***

To Hanna, philanthropy is an undertaking that must be conducted according to the ?obligation of prudence.? Prudence is a term widely misunderstood today, but the concept enjoys a long and distinguished philosophical pedigree. Aristotle considered prudence the queen of the moral virtues; it alone involved both mind and will. Prudence, Aristotle argued, has a twofold intellectual component. It first determines the moral ends to be attained; then it designs the means best suited to their attainment. Once its intellectual work is accomplished, prudence must govern the appetites in order to attain the goal identified with the means designed.

Among businessmen, the obligation of prudence is intuitively understood and rigorously applied. But philanthropists?even the successful entrepreneurs among them?often seem to lose sight of it. For one thing, they are sometimes so impressed by manifest good intentions that they overlook the prudential imperative. The heart, alas, can overpower the head. Further complicating matters is the perennial problem of comparing moral goods. Who?s to say that it?s better to fund a soup kitchen than to build a healthcare clinic? Can we know for certain that it?s better to establish a primary school than to rehabilitate prisoners? The head, unfortunately, can be overwhelmed.

But the real obstacle for the prudent philanthropist is the absence of a common basis for measuring effectiveness. ?How do I measure success?? asks Hanna. ?How do I measure failure? These questions are the bane of philanthropy.? In business, money provides a common unit of measurement for comparing investments. Every businessman understands the concept of return on investment; profit margins are profit margins across all market sectors.

Philanthropy, however, lacks a definitive way to establish success. ?You have to move from an absolute measurement to a more relative or comparative measurement,? Hanna observes. ?It?s an inexact science. But there?s no point in getting too frustrated with the inexactitude. After all, raising children is an inexact science?but that doesn?t mean we shouldn?t do it.? Inexactitude simply requires additional care, a fact as true of philanthropy as parenting.

For that reason, Hanna has developed a set of prudential principles to guide his charitable giving. He begins with the first question of prudence: What are the moral goods to be pursued? The answer, he has discovered, subscribes to what he calls the Principle of Indispensability: ?Support indispensable causes to which your support is indispensable.?

According to Hanna, donors should direct their funds only to causes they deem truly essential. ?I believe,? he writes, ?that the charities to which we give significant help should themselves be indispensable. In other words, their success should bring to mankind physical, intellectual, moral, or spiritual benefits of the most important kind, benefits without which mankind (or particular individuals) would be fundamentally diminished.?

Once philanthropists have identified the indispensable causes, they should restrict their donations to charities for which their support is truly indispensable. A small contribution to a massive organization will have marginal influence, at best. A series of marginal contributions is hardly better. Funds are always best spent where they will be put to the most effective use. If the organization can succeed without this donation, the money would be better spent on an organization that absolutely needs the funds to attain its objectives.

The Principle of Indispensability is designed to help maximize the leverage of charitable contributions. ?Archimedes is credited with discovering how to use a lever to get seemingly disproportionate results,? says Hanna. ?But Archimedes didn?t just stick his lever anywhere. He had to find the point of maximal leverage.? So too with philanthropy: Charitable donations achieve seemingly disproportionate results when they are directed to the point of maximal leverage.

***

The Principle of Indispensability meets the first criterion of prudence; it identifies the moral goods to be attained. The second criterion of prudence, meanwhile, demands that adequate means be devised to achieve these moral ends. Hanna has devoted considerable thought to this second element of prudential philanthropy, and has devised a set of guidelines to help him maximize his charitable investments.

The philanthropist, no less than the businessman, should search for synergies. Donors should seek initiatives that will benefit from the specific combination of their knowledge, interests, wealth, and expertise. ?In practical terms,? Hanna explains, this means we ?should contribute money to philanthropic activities in fields in which we?re already actively and even eagerly involved. It?s in such endeavors that our judgments of the charities are likely to be keener, and our own contributions?financial and otherwise?are likely to prove indispensable.?

Donors should also take special care to observe the leaders of the organizations they support. ?You get extraordinary results from great leadership,? says Hanna. ?They?re like good managers in business. In business, you?re always on the lookout for good managers.? Good leaders exhibit a number of qualities?honesty, creativity, humility?but Hanna is especially interested in leaders who expect accountability. To the extent that they can, good leaders will offer independently verifiable evidence of their efficiency and effectiveness. They welcome evaluation, seeing it as an opportunity for improvement. ?Those are the All-Stars. Those are the Cy Young pitchers.?

For similar reasons, Hanna advises investment in initiatives rather than institutions. He allows that ?institutions are relevant,? but immediately warns that ?it?s hazardous to put your faith in institutions.? A well-established institution, redolent of tradition, may seem like a suitable venue for a prudent endowment. But while institutions can change, endowments are forever. Funding temporary initiatives is one way to ensure that money is used in ways consistent with the donor?s intentions.

To illustrate the point, Hanna recalls the tale of an elderly gentleman, who at great expense funded a chair in Catholic Studies at a prestigious university some 50 years ago. The benefactor devoutly wished to see his endowment promote a better understanding of the faith he loved so dearly. Instead, he witnessed professor after professor use the position to launch vicious attacks upon the church. The thought of it was enough to bring the old man nearly to tears.

When supporting initiatives, however, donors must also take care not to foster dependency. Charities strive to instill independence in individuals, and philanthropists should replicate the effort with respect to organizations. Once the entrepreneurial stage of a charity has been financed, if the endeavor is meeting its objectives, it should be spurring the donations of others.? ?A philanthropist has a moral obligation to spend wisely, and to encourage this type of strategic planning,? says Hanna. Good intentions are certainly laudable, but they are in themselves insufficient. Effort is not the same as effect.

Philanthropists should never hesitate to draw upon their private sector expertise. In Hanna?s case, that means finance. His work requires him to persuade other people to let him use their money, in order to generate greater returns for all parties involved. An analogous strategy can be applied to philanthropy through the creation of matching grants. Matching grants allow an organization to use other people?s money to incentivize further fundraising, without diminishing the enthusiasm of other donors.

Nevertheless, Hanna recommends against philanthropists becoming too directly involved in fundraising. For a charity, it may seem to make good sense to ask donors to help work the phones?the multiplier effect of additional donor-raised contributions can potentially be quite substantial. For individual donors, however, it is not at all clear that the arrangement is beneficial. Those with a genuine talent for business may actually serve their causes better by restricting themselves to making money and donating the extra funds. Investing time and energy into fundraising may actually diminish total returns; for many entrepreneurs, the comparative advantage lies in generating wealth. Donors, he concludes, should generally resist the fundraising temptation.

Finally, Hanna believes that philanthropists should limit their attention to a few, select initiatives. ?With so many needy and worthy organizations and persons vying for attention, it?s hard to stay focused. Before long, you can find yourself involved in so many projects that you?re not really serving any of them well, and even your financial contributions are not being used effectively.? For Hanna, it all comes back to prudence. Properly practiced, philanthropy is prudential. Prudence, by its nature, involves an honest assessment of limitations, and limitations sometimes require one to say, ?No.?

***

Hanna focuses his own philanthropy on efforts to renew the culture. The longstanding debate over how best to do so?whether to engage in politics or in culture?is not satisfactorily resolved with an either/or answer; politics and culture inevitably influence and reflect each another. He is fond of quoting the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan: ?The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of a society. The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself.?

Still, Hanna has a clear idea of where to begin: ?By and large, the most leveraged point for renewing the culture is in education.? He has been thinking about educational reform for a long time. He was an undergraduate when the National Commission on Excellence in Education released its bombshell report,?Nation at Risk. Like many others, Hanna was appalled at the report?s findings. Unlike many others, he committed himself to creating sufficient capital to make significant investments in education reform.

Those investments have taken multiple forms. For a while, Hanna produced and hosted a weekly television program in Washington, D.C., called?One Room Schoolhouse, which sought to teach parents how to become more actively involved in the education of their children. He later helped secure the passage of Georgia?s first charter school bill, and has since lent his support to school choice initiatives.

But Hanna?s real passion is for Catholic education. Catholic schools, he explains, are particularly well suited to the task of educating the whole person. Their pedagogy is rooted in the affirmation of human dignity and of humanity?s transcendent vocation. Hanna believes that, unlike the public schools, religious schools have the ability to teach that truth exists, that the human mind can learn truth, and that knowledge of truth contributes to the life of virtue.

Unfortunately, many Catholic schools face serious financial difficulties. For a variety of reasons, Hanna says, ?the average Catholic school today does not have a viable business model.? And the problem is most acute for middle-class families. The wealthiest tenth can afford the tuition at elite Catholic academies, while the poorest tenth can avail themselves of externally subsidized inner-city Catholic schools. But for the eight-tenths in the middle, Catholic education is becoming ever more unaffordable.

To that end, Hanna has helped found several new schools to serve Atlanta?s Catholic population. In 1993, he joined a group of businessmen, educators, and lay leaders who, under the spiritual direction of the Legionaries of Christ, established the Pinecrest Academy in Cumming, Georgia. The school set down its roots in a rented building with a single class of 29 students. Today, it flourishes, offering pre-kindergarten through high school, and is spread across a handsome 68-acre campus.

Pinecrest?s success convinced Hanna to repeat the effort. In 1996, he helped found the Holy Spirit Preparatory School in northern Atlanta. Like Pinecrest, Holy Spirit provides classes from preschool through high school. It too is prospering, and has likewise proven a blessing for middle-class Catholic families.

Most recently, Hanna led the effort to found Solidarity School in Atlanta. Unlike Pinecrest and Holy Spirit, Solidarity was not built with middle-class families in mind. The school is located in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, in what had been a crime-infested shopping center. Hanna bought out the complex, renovated the facilities, and opened the doors to the first class of 12 children in the Fall of 2000. Today the school serves over 90 students, and forms an integral part of a planned urban village, with a mission church, community services, and locally owned small businesses. Parents of the students mostly work in construction or fast food, as maids or day laborers, but all are expected to buy into the project, either with tuition (set at $5 per week) or volunteer labor.

Students at Solidarity receive a phonics-based, English-immersion education. They wear uniforms, stay in school until 4:00 p.m., and take only four weeks off for summer. Expectations are high. The school hopes that, upon graduation, its students as a group will test at least one grade level above students in the public school system. And parents are plainly delighted. ?We heard in Mexico that public schools in America don?t give a lot of attention to Hispanic children,? one parent told theAtlanta Journal-Constitution. ?I feel very satisfied with this school. It?s a little like family here.?

Hanna is quick to point out that the school has lent validation to an argument often advanced by proponents of school choice. Solidarity has actually served to improve the local public school. As parents in the public school system became aware of Solidarity?s success, they began to push for reforms. Competition increased quality across the board. A note of satisfaction creeps into Hanna?s voice: ?Our dollar a day program really shook up the community.?

Is Solidarity?s success replicable? ?Maybe,? says Hanna, ?but it?s too early to tell if the model can be franchised.? But the school was never intended just to be an educational experiment. ?It was and is, first and foremost, a corporal work of mercy.?

It is a corporal work of mercy that has attracted some notice. Hanna?s work with Solidarity School contributed to his appointment as co-chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, where he oversaw the production and delivery of the commission?s report,?From Risk to Opportunity.

From reading?Nation at Risk?to writing?From Risk to Opportunity, there has been a long arc to Hanna?s work in educational reform. It has been the work of a lifetime?long, patient, and characteristically prudent.

***

If educational reform represents an effort to renew the culture from the bottom-up, then public policy advocacy is a way to change the culture from the top-down. Because the task of cultural renewal cannot ignore politics, Hanna has strategically donated to groups that he believes are making real progress in preserving and extending the American experiment in ordered liberty.

In doing so, he rigorously applies his Principle of Indispensability, avoiding organizations where his contribution would be non-essential, and focusing instead on a few, medium-sized, high-impact public advocacy groups. He reserves his support for those groups that know how to really leverage their resources. ?Einstein is supposed to have said that the Eighth Wonder of the World is compound interest,? says Hanna. ?A similar compounding effect?where gains build on gains?can come from dedicated organizations.?

Hanna believes that one such dedicated organization is the Acton Institute. Acton is a research and education think tank that describes its mission as the promotion of ?a free, virtuous, and humane society? which ?recognizes the benefits of a limited government, but also the beneficent consequences of a free market.? Hanna discovered Acton through a column in?Forbes. The essay was written by the Institute?s president, Fr. Robert A. Sirico. Hanna was impressed. ?This guy?s good,? he thought. (The esteem is clearly mutual; Sirico says of Hanna that he ?inspires me with his friendship, loyalty, honesty, and faith.?) The more Hanna studied the Institute, the more impressed he became. ?Acton is the nation?s foremost advocate for a free market circumscribed by the Judeo-Christian ethic. They?re the best I?ve found. Best in class.? In addition to financial support, Hanna has offered his time and talent, serving on Acton?s Board of Directors as vice chairman.

Hanna has likewise been impressed by the work of the Federalist Society. Founded in 1982, the Society is composed of center-right legal professionals who take as their foundational principles the ideas that the purpose of the Constitution is the preservation of freedom, that to achieve this end the Constitution requires a strict separation of powers, and that the judiciary best serves the cause of freedom when it restricts itself to its limited constitutional responsibility. Under its auspices, a network of law students, professors, and practicing attorneys gather to discuss and debate these principles in light of current developments within the law. ?They are stalwart defenders of the rule of law,? says Hanna, ?who benefit from brilliant leadership that understands how to bring people into contact with ideas.?

Hanna is also willing to find and fund individuals who are making genuine contributions towards the protection of American civil society. ?Look at Maggie Gallagher,? says Hanna, referring to the president of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy. ?[She] is a top-notch scholar, working on demonstrating the importance of marriage as a social institution.? He points to Robert P. George of Princeton University, who is not only ?one of the world?s leading authorities on natural law,? but is moreover ?doing really amazing work in bioethics.? Rick Santorum has long been ?one of the most consistent and effective voices for the family. He?ll continue to do that, because he?s fearless.? Hanna supports each of these individuals, because he believes their work is indispensable to the task of cultural renewal, and because he believes his support is indispensable to their efforts.

In all of this, Hanna has dutifully followed his own guidelines for how to make the indispensable philanthropic investment.

Take leadership, for instance. Hanna frequently underscores the importance of good leaders: ?people who work in a superlative manner, who lead with wisdom and humility, they?re the ones who get disproportionate results.? Others have noticed and responded. Sirico recalls that ?Frank and I got to know each other over a period of time, during which I realized he was taking my measure. Once he was convinced of the soundness of our approach?and, I suspect, of my personal integrity?Frank was ready to move forward.?

Leonard Leo, the executive vice president of the Federalist Society, noticed much the same thing. ?Frank understands that lasting success requires more than just good ideas and a marketing plan. You need talented people to direct and manage an effort each and every day. When you make investments in good people, they in turn make investments in causes that have high returns in terms of transforming our culture.? Leo pauses for a moment, then continues. ?It?s like the parable of the master who gave each of his slaves 50 talents?I doubt Frank would have much patience either for the one who buried the money, without making any effort to direct his talents to multiplying value.?

Among the organizations he supports, Hanna has made it his constant practice to search for opportunities to leverage the group?s influence. ?Frank is one of those Board members who continually asks hard questions of us,? Sirico explains. ?He looks beyond the enthusiasm for a project and wants to know hard facts about how influential an idea or program will be?not how many books we will publish, but how many people will read the information. He wants bang for the buck, and is highly strategic in his thinking.?

Leo says much the same. ?I think that Frank saw in the Federalist Society an opportunity to create significant value dollar-for-dollar, because we are in the business of creating an infrastructure of talented leaders whose reach could extend to addressing many, many different problems with our legal culture. The versatility and broad reach of this infrastructure lays a foundation for ranging, long-term impact, well beyond a small set of particularized successes.?

But most of all, Hanna is known for taking an active, personal role in the causes he supports. ?Frank is not so much a philanthropist as he is an investor,? says Kevin Hasson, of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, another group Hanna supports. ?He not only invests money in you, but he?s committed to improving what you do so that both you and he are more successful. Frank always asks questions that no one else has thought of. He forces us to improve in ways that we didn?t realize we needed.? Leo again wholeheartedly concurs: ?Frank is the kind of philanthropist who provides more than funding. He is a role model, showing how a proper application of faith to all aspects of your life can lead to a better appreciation of your vocation, and, in turn, the achievement of greater good for your fellow man.?

Sirico agrees. With a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, he attests, ?if Frank gets involved, he jumps in at the deep end.?

Christopher Levenick is editor-in-chief of?Philanthropy?magazine.

?

Source: http://shannantaylor.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/the-call-of-the-philanthropist/

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Friday, October 26, 2012

Tim Cook: 1.3 million Apple TVs sold in Q4, 5 million for 2012 fiscal year

Tim Cook keeps saying it's a hobby, but if Apple keeps selling its little TV hockey pucks at this rate, he may have to change his tune. On Apple's Q4 earnings call today, the company revealed that it's sold 1.3 million Apple TVs this past quarter, for a total of five million sold during this past fiscal year. Despite those sizable sales figures, Cook claimed on the call that the revenue generated by Apple TV is "quite small." That said, his crew in Cupertino will continue to focus on improving the device for its customers -- meaning we can look forward to getting more updates like the improved UI and 1080p support in the coming year.

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Prosecutors: Colo. teen confessed to Ridgeway murder

The Colorado teen accused of brutally murdering 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway makes his first court appearance. NBC's Chris Clackum reports.

By NBC News staff and wire services

Updated at 1:01 p.m. ET: A Colorado teenager has confessed to the abduction and killing of a 10-year-old girl and in a separate attack on a runner, prosecutors said Thursday.?

Austin Reed Sigg, 17, made his first court appearance Thursday in the death of Jessica Ridgeway and an assault on a 22-year-old female runner in May.?

Authorities said Thursday they have "overwhelming" DNA evidence against Sigg.


Sigg lived about a mile from Jessica Ridgeway, who disappeared Oct. 5 while walking to school in Westminster, a suburb northwest of Denver. Her body, which police said was "not intact," was found five days later in a park in Arvada, about 9 miles from her home.

Sigg made his first court appearance Thursday, shackled in a turquoise jumpsuit. He kept his head bowed for much of the time and asked only one question during the hearing, which was for clarification on his rights as a defendant.

The judge told Sigg to consult with his attorneys for clarification, which he briefly did, then nodded to the judge to apparently indicate that he understood.?

In arguing to deny bail to Sigg, Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Hal Sargent said that investigators have obtained "a confession and DNA evidence."?

"The evidence is overwhelming," he said.?

A police custody report released on Wednesday said Sigg waived his right to counsel when investigators first spoke to him, in another indication he might have discussed the crimes.?

During the hearing, Sigg made eye contact at one point with relatives of Ridgeway, who were in the courtroom wearing purple ribbons in the girl's memory.

Westminster Police Dept. via AP

Jessica Ridgeway went missing on her way to school on Oct. 5, 2012.

Sigg's mother cried on and off during the proceeding, which lasted about 35 minutes.?Security was tight, with 14 armed deputies in court.

The judge ordered the teen to be held without bond and set the next court hearing for Tuesday.

Sigg is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, felony murder and kidnapping in Jessica's case, and with criminal attempt to kidnap and murder in a Memorial Day attack on a jogger at Ketner Lake.

District Attorney Scott Storey said the law prevents prosecutors from seeking the death penalty because Sigg is a juvenile, even though he is being prosecuted as an adult.?

Police in the Denver suburb of Westminster said they took Sigg into custody Tuesday night after receiving a phone call, apparently from his mother, that led them to Sigg.?

Reached by phone, Sigg's mother told The Associated Press he turned himself in.?

"I made the phone call, and he turned himself in. That's all I have to say," said Mindy Sigg, before she broke down in tears and hung up.

Authorities said Sigg, who is a student at Arapahoe Community College, also will face charges in the May 28 attempted kidnapping of the 22-year-old runner at the Ketner Lake Open Space. Police have said the two crimes are connected but haven't elaborated.

Jogger: Stranger put rag over my mouth
In the May case, a woman fought off a stranger who grabbed her from behind and put a rag that smelled of chemicals over her mouth, authorities said. Police haven't determined if the substance on the rag was meant to subdue the woman.

Authorities have released few details about their investigation, and court documents have been sealed. A police custody report said Sigg was cooperative when he was arrested and waived his rights.

Acquaintances have said Sigg was interested in mortuary science and forensic science, often wore black and hung out in the high school cafeteria's "goth corner." ??

Sigg had attended Witt Elementary, but he moved on to middle school in 2007, before Jessica enrolled at Witt, Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer said.? ?

Sigg later attended Standley Lake High School while also taking classes at Warren Tech, a district school that offers specialized training in health science, public safety, technology and other fields.? ?

He left the school district in July after finishing the 11th grade and later earned a GED. School officials don't know why he left.? ?

Arapahoe Community College officials confirmed Sigg is enrolled there but wouldn't release other details.

Sigg's ex-girlfriend?told 9NEWS.com?Sigg having a hard time coming to grips with what he is accused of.

"The Austin I knew would never have done anything like that," the ex-girlfriend, who the TV station?identified only as "Danni," said. "He was my first boyfriend. He was my first kiss. He was my first date."

She said she doesn't remember any warning signs, but said Sigg did have a collection of weapons.

"I knew he had a sword collection in his room or a knife collection or whatever. But it was his man cave. A lot of people collect stuff," Danni said, according to 9NEWS.com.

The Associated Press, Reuters and?NBC producer Kevin Watters contributed to this story.

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D&D: Champions of Bane Looking for more!

The Church of Bane
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OOC Races Classes [Soon]

No Rest for the Wicked
Finally, you're back home in Dragonspur City after what felt like months of adventure. As luck would have it, you didn't come home empty handed either, a hefty pouch of gold, a few trinkets, and some looted gear thanks to all the skull cracking you've done recently. Just as you toss your gear to the floor and make yourself comfortable, you hear a loud knock at the door. Upon answering, you find a small man hooded in exotic black robes. No words are exchanged, he only holds out a small envelope, sealed with a familiar symbol on one side, and neatly written across the other are the words "Bane calls for you once more." Immediately you tear the note open, inside are five platinum coins and a rather long-winded note from an old business contact.

Greetings My Dearest Friend,

It's been sometime since we last spoke, I hope this letter finds you in good health. I write to you because the Church of our dark lord is in dire need of your help. The Temple has been fully recovered and restored in Darkwood since you reclaimed it from the foul Ghast and his minions, but we have yet to acquire a proper following and reclaiming the Temple means little with no mass. We call to you to spread the Fear and Tyranny that is our lord Bane, so that every soul across this land may once again tremble before the Black Hand. I have personally devised a series of plans that will remind the common rabble why it is they should fear our master, but this is no job for priests, we need you to go forth as our Champion, on a march of conquest for our lord in darkness.

Other news since you've been away, the ongoing effort to strengthen our forces has reunited us with our Zhentarim friends. The introductions will be made later when we speak face-to-face. Before that, I need you to handle a little business for me, we have been attempting to convert the nearby town of Dundel to our faith since the Temple was re-erected, but so far they have ignored our offerings and our threats, believing us to be nothing more than talk. You, along with some of my other agents will show them that Bane is not to be taken lightly. Burn their temples to the ground and instill fear in their souls. Bane?s pride demands it. Take their clerics alive if you can so we may sacrifice their bodies at the Temple. If anyone gets in your way, punish them. Leave their mangled bodies spiked to the ground in the center of town to die, let them serve as an example to others who want to play hero. If the filth of Cyric show their faces, crush them. Humiliate them! Make their deaths long and painful! And when you finish, meet with me at the Temple in Darkwood to celebrate your victory and learn of your next assignment.- High Priest Balthazar

A smile slithers across your lips and in a matter of moments, you burst out the door and head down the south road for Dundel.

What The Hell is Going On?
First let me welcome you to my roleplay and thank you for reading this far. If you're confused at all, this will be a Dungeons and Dragons Role Play based in the Forgotten Realms setting, the story is based off of an extremely popular campaign my friends and I have played multiple times, and I wanted to see re-done here. If it still isn't apparent, if you choose to participate, you will be playing an evil PC and there will be insane amounts of graphic imagery, gore, language, and violence, no exaggerations, if you're not comfortable with that then I'll have to refer you to one of the many neko-vampire-mylittlepony-highschool-romance adventures that seem to take place here. Also! there will be no dice rolling, stats, or so on, as I would like to see the whole adventure take place as an RP to see if it goes smoothly. [If so, I'm going to try and make something of a series of this here on the site... might be fun! ^_^]

LOOKING FOR 2-3 MORE CHARACTERS!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/RJSVQkHbLcM/viewtopic.php

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Study Reveals Android Apps Leak Personal Data [VIDEO]

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2012 Antarctic ozone hole second smallest in 20 years

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) ? The average area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole this year was the second smallest in the last 20 years, according to data from NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites. Scientists attribute the change to warmer temperatures in the Antarctic lower stratosphere.

The ozone hole reached its maximum size Sept. 22, covering 8.2 million square miles (21.2 million square kilometers), or the area of the United States, Canada and Mexico combined. The average size of the 2012 ozone hole was 6.9 million square miles (17.9 million square kilometers). The Sept. 6, 2000 ozone hole was the largest on record at 11.5 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers).

"The ozone hole mainly is caused by chlorine from human-produced chemicals, and these chlorine levels are still sizable in the Antarctic stratosphere," said NASA atmospheric scientist Paul Newman of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Natural fluctuations in weather patterns resulted in warmer stratospheric temperatures this year. These temperatures led to a smaller ozone hole."

Observing Earth's Ozone Layer

Atmospheric ozone is no longer declining because concentrations of ozone-depleting chemicals stopped increasing and are now declining.

The ozone layer acts as Earth's natural shield against ultraviolet radiation, which can cause skin cancer. The ozone hole phenomenon began making a yearly appearance in the early 1980s. The Antarctic ozone layer likely will not return to its early 1980s state until about 2065, Newman said. The lengthy recovery is because of the long lifetimes of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere. Overall atmospheric ozone no longer is declining as concentrations of ozone-depleting substances decrease. The decrease is the result of an international agreement regulating the production of certain chemicals.

This year also marked a change in the concentration of ozone over the Antarctic. The minimum value of total ozone in the ozone hole was the second highest level in two decades. Total ozone, measured in Dobson units (DU) reached 124 DU on Oct. 1. NOAA ground-based measurements at the South Pole recorded 136 DU on Oct. 5. When the ozone hole is not present, total ozone typically ranges from 240-500 DU.

This is the first year growth of the ozone hole has been observed by an ozone-monitoring instrument on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite. The instrument, called the Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS), is based on previous instruments, such as the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet instrument (SBUV/2). OMPS continues a satellite record dating back to the early 1970s.

In addition to observing the annual formation and extent of the ozone hole, scientists hope OMPS will help them better understand ozone destruction in the middle and upper stratosphere with its Nadir Profiler. Ozone variations in the lower stratosphere will be measured with its Limb Profiler.

"OMPS Limb looks sideways, and it can measure ozone as a function of height," said Pawan K. Bhartia, a NASA atmospheric physicist and OMPS Limb instrument lead. "This OMPS instrument allows us to more closely see the vertical development of Antarctic ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere where the ozone hole occurs."

NASA and NOAA have been monitoring the ozone layer on the ground and with a variety of instruments on satellites and balloons since the 1970s. Long-term ozone monitoring instruments have included TOMS, SBUV/2, Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment series of instruments, the Microwave Limb Sounder, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument, and the OMPS instrument on Suomi NPP. Suomi NPP is a bridging mission leading to the next-generation polar-orbiting environmental satellites called the Joint Polar Satellite System, will extend ozone monitoring into the 2030s.

NASA and NOAA have a mandate under the Clean Air Act to monitor ozone-depleting gases and stratospheric depletion of ozone. NOAA complies with this mandate by monitoring ozone via ground and satellite measurements. The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., performs the ground-based monitoring. The Climate Prediction Center performs the satellite monitoring.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/bmS8jbWtmn0/121024164723.htm

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North Korea's Air Koryo opens online booking

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Oscars: Hollywood Film Awards launches the awards season and ...

HollywoodNews.com: October 22, 2012 ? For a 16th consecutive year, the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards continue their mandate of bridging the gap between emerging filmmakers and the film industry, as well as recognizing excellence in established Hollywood, both in front of and behind the camera.

This year should be no different. Special honors went to Richard Gere for career achievement; Bradley Cooper for actor; Marion Cotillard for actress; Robert De Niro for supporting actor; Amy Adams for supporting actress; Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and the cast of ?Argo;? John Hawkes for breakout performance; David O. Russell for director; Dustin Hoffman for breakthrough director; Quentin Tarantino for the screenwriter award; Judd Apatow for comedy; Quvenzhan? Wallis for the New Hollywood Award; Samantha Barks, Bella Heathcote, Tom Holland, John Magaro, Ezra Miller, and Kelly Reilly with the Spotlight Awards; Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner for producers; Wally Pfister for cinematographer; Dylan Tichenor for editor; Sarah Greenwood for production designer; Peter Ramsey with ?Rise of the Guardians? for animation; and Jeff White with ?The Avengers? for visual effects.

Celebrities and Hollywood notables who attended the Hollywood Awards included Eddy Hartenstein, Los Angeles Times Publisher and Tribune Company CEO, Diablo Cody, Chris Evans, Tom Ford, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hillcoat, Helen Hunt, Melissa Leo, Ray Liotta, Tony Mendez, Christopher Nolan, Edward Norton, Seth Rogen, Eric Roth, Susan Sarandon, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Shankman, and Kerry Washington, among others.

?We are very proud to be the first stop of the awards season. In the last nine years, a total of 85 Oscar nominations and 32 Oscars were given to the honorees of the Hollywood Film Awards,? said Festival and Awards Founder, Carlos de Abreu.

The gala awards presentation was hosted by Nancy O?Dell of ?Entertainment Tonight? and attendees were treated to the music of Johnny Crawford and his Orchestra.

The winners of the festival?s film competition were announced Sunday night, October 21, at the ?Hollywood Discovery Awards? Presentation Ceremony at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. This year?s winners were: ?Garbage? by Phil Volken ? Best Feature Film; ?Bound by Flesh? by Leslie Zemeckis ? Best Documentary; ?Crescendo? by Alonso Alvarez Barreda ? Best Short Film; ?Cadaver? by Jonah D. Ansell ? Best Animation Film; ?Les Miserables? by Erin Wyatt ? Best Trailer.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 1.6 million and 2.7 million on Sunday, more than 16 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.4 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 130 years.

The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates include the Los Angeles Times, The Envelope, Times Community News and Hoy Los Angeles and reach approximately 5.2 million or 39% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns and operates California Community News, as well as Tribune Direct?s west coast division and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country?s leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information is available at http://latimes.com/aboutus.

ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS
The Hollywood Film Awards were created to honor excellence in the art of filmmaking, both in front of and behind the camera, and launch the awards season. The criteria are: recipients are selected to be honored for their body of work and/or a film(s) that is to be released between January 1 and December 31 by an advisory team. In addition, for the recipients of our ?film awards craft categories? (aside from evaluating their body of work), our Advisory team takes into consideration the recommendation of their guilds/societies. Last year alone, our recipients received 12 nominations and 5 Oscars. In the last 9 years, a total of 85 Oscar nominations and 32 Oscars were given to our honorees.

The Hollywood Film Awards are presented in conjunction with Presenting Sponsor the Los Angeles Times, Premier sponsors ArcLight Cinemas and Hollywoodnews.com, exclusive Regional Print Media sponsor Los Angeles Confidential and trade Media sponsors the Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Special support is provided by American Cinema Editors, A.C.E., American Society of Cinematographers, A.S.C., The Art Directors Guild, A.D.G., The Casting Society of America, CSA, Celebrity Services, Costume Designers Guild, CDG, Columbia Pictures, Creative Artists Agency, DreamWorks SKG, Entertainment Tonight, Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, ICM, ILM, Motion Picture Editors Guild, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., The Weinstein Company, WME. Getty Image is the Official Photography Agency.

Awards Contact:
Hollywood Film Awards
Ph: 310.288.1882
info@hollywoodawards.com
433 N. Camden Drive, Suite 600, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
www.hollywoodfilmawards.com

Follow Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.

Hollywood News, Hollywood Awards, Awards, Movies, News, Award News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News

Source: http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2012/10/22/oscars-hollywood-film-awards-launches-the-awards-season-and-honors-excellence-in-the-art-of-filmmaking/

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Seattle man gets Billy Idol to play his birthday

SEATTLE (AP) ? A Seattle man named Michael Henrichsen has ideas about how he might celebrate his 26th birthday this week.

First, Billy Idol rolls up in a limo and tells him to hop in. There are women everywhere. And later, when the British rock icon takes the stage, 1,800 of his closest friends go wild.

It's not as far-fetched as it sounds. After a two-year campaign, Henrichsen has persuaded Idol to play his birthday party in Seattle on Friday night.

It took a lot of work. Henrichsen got a website, playmybirthdaybillyidol.com; got endorsements from B-list celebrities; and put on concerts dubbed "Billy Idol Aid" that raised more than $10,000 for a food bank and the American Red Cross.

Henrichsen says the party is going to be "pretty much the coolest night ever."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/seattle-man-gets-billy-idol-play-birthday-090420230.html

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NYC's billionaire mayor pledges $125k against MN marriage amendment

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has vowed to donate $10 million of his personal fortune to political causes, including gay marriage ballot initiatives, around the country by election day. Yesterday, that pledge came to Minnesota.

See Also:
- Watch Chris Kluwe debate a chair streaming live tonight
- Uptown 'Vote Yes' billboard is vandalized, MN for Marriage draws absurd conclusions [PHOTO]


The billionaire businessman-turned-politician announced $375,000 in donations to campaigns working to legalize gay marriage in Maine and Washington, and another $125,000 to Minnesotans United for all Families, the group behind all those orange "Vote No" yard signs.

That adds up to a cool half-million in support of same sex marriage on Monday alone. Earlier this month, the mayor gave a Maryland effort an additional $250,000.

In response to Bloomberg's gift, a "challenge grant," a dozen local MN United supporters have already joined to offer a $125,000 match.

Several business leaders, from the Twins-owning Pohlad family to major corporations like General Mills, have opposed the marriage amendment from the start. Richard Carlbom, MN United campaign manager, emphasized the business angle following Bloomberg's announcement.

"Business leaders across the state -- and those around the nation, like Mayor Bloomberg -- have made it clear that this amendment is bad for business," he said in a statement. "In order to keep our state a thriving and competitive place to live and do business, we must maintain our status as a national leader in attracting top talent."

Kate Brickman, spokesperson for MN United, described an enthusiastic mood in the Vote No camp following the news. "We're thrilled to see people helping us in these final weeks," she says.

Minnesota for Marriage, the group working to pass the amendment, is predictably less excited.

"We believe it is the people of Minnesota who should decide the question of marriage, not out-of-state donors like Bloomberg," a spokesperson for the Vote Yes-ers, Chuck Darrell, told the Associated Press.

Last July, New York passed its own marriage equality law, making it one of six states, plus D.C., where anyone can wed anyone. Our own proposed amendment, of course, wouldn't add us to those ranks: Minnesotans won't be voting on whether or not to legalize same sex marriage, but instead, whether or not to amend the state Constitution to make it even more illegal than it already is.

Since that's a little depressing, here's a fun picture of Mayor Bloomberg waving a pride flag.

Source: http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2012/10/nycs_billionaire_mayor_pledges_125k_against_mn_marriage_amendment.php

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NY Times public editor calls into question incoming CEO Thompson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Times public editor has questioned whether the newspaper's incoming chief executive, the former BBC head Mark Thompson, is fit to serve as the company's top official as a scandal shakes Britain's most prestigious broadcaster.

One Wall Street analyst called for the New York Times Co to delay Thompson taking over the company, adding more pressure on executives to address the matter on the company's earnings conference call on Thursday.

The BBC has been damaged by the scandal involving one of its most famous entertainers, the late Jimmy Savile, who is accused of sexually abusing hundreds of women and girls over the course of six decades. Savile, the eccentric host of the "Top of the Pops" music show, died last year at the age of 84.

Thompson held the top job as director general at the BBC from 2004 until September and also held the title of editor-in-chief, according to a description of the Director General's duties on the BBC website.

"How likely is it that (Thompson) knew nothing?" New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.

"His integrity and decision-making are bound to affect The Times and its journalism -- profoundly. It's worth considering now whether he is the right person for the job, given this turn of events."

A New York Times spokesman declined to comment.

No evidence has emerged in police and parliamentary investigations that shows Thompson knew about the decision to pull the Newsnight program or about Savile's alleged behavior.

Thompson did not respond immediately to an email seeking comment about the public editor's column.

The allegations enveloping the British broadcaster hinge partly on the BBC's decision last year to shelve a show at its flagship "Newsnight" program investigating Savile. Rival broadcaster ITV aired a bombshell report this month about Savile and the claims against him, which were rumored for years.

Last week, Thompson said in a statement, "I was not notified or briefed about the Newsnight investigation, nor was I involved in any way in the decision not to complete and air the investigation.

In her post, Sullivan commended the paper for "reporting this story regularly".

As public editor and a representative of readers, Sullivan writes about issues affecting the newspaper independent from News York Times management, including chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and executive editor Jill Abramson.

Since stepping into the role in September, she has already made waves including a post that criticized the paper's decision not to publish on the front page a story about a congressional hearing into attacks on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last month in which four Americans were killed.

A representative from Sullivan's office said she declined to comment further on her blog about Thompson. An email sent to Sulzberger seeking comment was not returned immediately.

Sullivan's post on Thompson follows New York Times former executive editor Bill Keller, who wrote a column last week drawing a parallel between Savile and Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, who was recently sentenced to what amounts to life imprisonment for molesting children.

The New York Times tapped Thompson in August as CEO -- a role that had been vacant eight months after the company ousted its former CEO Janet Robinson last year.

Thompson is expected to start with the Times on November 12.

The unfolding Savile scandal has also caught the attention of some analysts in the United States.

"The New York Times should delay (Thompson's) start date until there is more clarity," said Doug Arthur, an analyst with Evercore Partners who follows the New York Times.

"It seems to me he will have to attend a hearing in the UK parliament. That is going to be a distraction. It's unfortunate. It's an unexpected complication."

In a hearing with British lawmakers on Tuesday, BBC Director General George Entwistle denied that the BBC helped cover up allegations that Savile preyed on women.

Thompson said the Newsnight investigation was mentioned to him by a journalist at a party last year, but he was later told it was not going ahead for journalistic reasons.

"I was never formally notified about the Newsnight investigation and was not briefed about the allegations they were examining and to what extent, if at all, those allegations related to Savile's work at the BBC," he said in a letter to a British lawmaker on Tuesday.

Thompson added he would be happy to appear in front of the parliamentary committee or any other inquiry in future.

Newsnight's editor, Peter Rippon, stepped aside on Monday after the BBC said his explanation for shelving the story had been "inaccurate or incomplete.

(Reporting By Jennifer Saba; Editing by Edward Tobin, Paul Tait and Jean Yoon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ny-times-public-editor-calls-incoming-ceo-thompson-060009630--finance.html

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Treehouses; Lonely Pianos in Real Estate Listings; More! - Linkage ...

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Source: http://curbed.com/archives/2012/10/22/treehouses-lonely-pianos-in-real-estate-listings-more.php

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PREVIEW-Golf-Harrington eyes third time charm at Grand Slam

Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:34am BST

Oct 22 (Reuters) - Padraig Harrington, a late replacement in the four-man field for this week's PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda, is banking on third time lucky after twice being beaten in a playoff at the elite, end-of-season event.

Irishman Harrington accepted an invitation to compete at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton after British Open champion Ernie Els withdrew on Saturday with an ankle injury.

"Hopefully this is third time a charm," triple major winner Harrington told reporters on Monday while preparing for Tuesday's opening round in the 36-hole event.

"I've come close twice in Grand Slams and hopefully it will be that close coming down the stretch this week and it would fall in my favour."

Harrington lost to Argentina's Angel Cabrera in a playoff for the 2007 title and was edged out by American Jim Furyk in 2008 at the event which traditionally brings together the winners of the year's four majors.

"It's funny, I can't remember the playoff which I obviously lost to Jim Furyk, but I really remember the one I lost to Cabrera," Harrington said.

"He got the last (hole) to get into the playoff. I thought I had it won. I remember that one all right."

LATE CALL-UP

Before getting his late call-up for Bermuda, Harrington had initially planned to compete in this week's European Tour event, the BMW Masters at Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai.

"I was due to travel to China on Sunday night," Harrington said. "So on Friday, I was practising and my manager rang me and said there's a possibility that Ernie may pull out and would I be interested. I said yeah, I'd be interested.

"The word came on Saturday afternoon, late Saturday afternoon, that Ernie had pulled out. As unfortunate as it is for Ernie ... it was good news for me."

Harrington accepted his invitation after the second and third alternates, Graeme McDowell and Tiger Woods, both said they were unavailable.

The Irishman will be competing against Americans Bubba Watson, who won this year's Masters, Webb Simpson (U.S. Open) and defending champion Keegan Bradley over the next two days.

Bradley, winner of last year's PGA Championship, gained his spot in the field as the first alternate after Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy pulled out due to a scheduling conflict.

McIlroy, who clinched his second major title by a staggering eight shots at this year's PGA Championship, had already committed to the BMW Masters in China.

Left-hander Watson was delighted to be in Bermuda, having book his place in the field by landing his first major victory at Augusta National in April.

"Coming over here is where it really hit home that I won a major," he said. "I get to play in this, and there's only four guys.

"It's pretty special to be here and be a part of this. Hopefully I can do it again one day so I can come back."

The Grand Slam of Golf, billed as "the most exclusive tournament in golf", was held in Hawaii from 1991 to 2006 before moving to Bermuda in 2007. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)

Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/UKGolfNews/~3/HkriPuzgTRg/golf-pga-slam-idUKL2E8JB2AR20121022

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Monday, October 22, 2012

Choose a Motorcycle Helmet | Automotive Life

Since this gear is incredibly vital, it?s solely right that you simply savvy to settle on the correct helmet that suit you best. similar to selecting animal skin motorbike chaps and alternative motorbike gears, you have got to think about many factors once buying a helmet. Here are the steps you?ll be able to take:

1. the primary issue that you simply have to be compelled to do is to seem for numerous makers to match reviews. There are several helmets on the market within the market nowadays. you?ll be able to begin viewing on-line stores and browse reviews from the users. this may provide you with a thought of that product is nice and that isn?t.

2. realize the correct size. Size is incredibly vital in any variety of motorbike gear. this is often essential for your comfort. sporting the correct size is additionally vital in protective you within the case of a crash. If it?s too little for you, it?ll feel uncomfortable. sure parts of your head, ears, and chin can feel pain. Loose helmets don?t seem to be useful in addition. They move around as you ride. If it?s the correct work, you may feel more leisurely. you may feel protected.

3. select those with bright colours and reflective materials. one among the foremost causes of bike accidents is that alternative motorists fail to check the riders. a technique of enhancing visibility is that riders wear extremely visible gears. alternative drivers will simply spot those gears with bright colours and reflective materials. build this a crucial thought.

4. Check the helmet for broken components. high-priced helmets don?t mean that they?re freed from harm. check that that you simply check everything before you dispense some money. See to that that there?s no crack. The straps ought to be able to hold the device in situ. The artefact ought to be intact in addition.

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5. Check for Snell approval. The Snell Memorial Foundation could be a non-profit organization. They check helmets to confirm that they supply safety. they need done some researches and developed standards to confirm that the helmets are in prime form. If the helmet carries their seal, you?ll be able to make sure of its prime quality.

Motorcycle gears are vital. They keep the riders safe and comfy throughout the ride. apart from the helmets, a rider wants gears just like the animal skin motorbike chaps, gloves, boots, and jackets. you have got to settle on everything fastidiously. once choosing the correct gear, you would like to grasp your basis. you can?t base your selection on appearance alone. you have got to ascertain everything. most significantly, you have got to do it on to create certain that it fits you well.

Choosing the correct helmet is important to keep you safe throughout a visit. If you select the incorrect helmet, you?re attending to place yourself to additional risk.

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Source: http://www.barrygreeklife.com/choose-motorcycle-helmet/

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Spain's Rajoy gets mixed message in regional votes

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy secured backing for his austerity drive in a vote in his home region of Galicia on Sunday, but a clear win for nationalist parties in the Basque Country could soon prove a headache for the central government.

According to exit polls, Spain's ruling centre-right People's Party was set to retain its absolute majority and government in Galicia with 39 to 42 seats in the regional parliament compared with 18 to 20 seats for the Socialist Party and 15 to 18 seats for two nationalist parties.

Opinion polls before the vote had indicated the PP would win 39 or fewer seats.

In the Basque Country, the nationalist PNV (Partido Nacionalista Vasco) was set to win with 24 to 27 seats, compared with 23 to 26 seats for Bildu, a pro-independence party, 13 to 15 seats for the Socialist Party and 9 to 11 seats for the PP.

The vote in Galicia, where austerity steps were taken by the People's Party even before Rajoy took national office one year ago, had been seen as a referendum on the Spanish government's handling of the euro zone crisis. The PP has ruled in the region for 24 of the past 31 years.

European officials and analysts said Rajoy wanted to wait until after the election before requesting more European aid because he feared lenders' conditions, such as a reform of the pension system, could anger voters.

The Spanish prime minister, who received a euro zone pledge in June of up to 100 billion euros to recapitalize banks, said on Friday he still had not decided whether to request a sovereign bailout. Senior euro zone officials told Reuters they expected an aid request to be made next month.

The Galician result will give the prime minister some political breathing space after polls showing him losing support amid massive demonstrations against spending cuts in public services and successive tax hikes.

The Socialists had hoped for a repeat of regional elections in Andalusia earlier this year where it lost to the PP but managed to form a coalition government with another left-wing party.

But Sunday's results may re-open a leadership war in the Socialist Party, which ruled in Spain from 2004 to 2011.

FRESH CHALLENGE

In the Basque Country, the outcome of the vote, as expected, was influenced by central government attempts to reduce provincial power.

Spain has fallen into its second recession since 2009 and the International Monetary Fund forecasts the economy will contract by 1.3 percent next year. Unemployment is 24.6 percent.

But in the Basque Country and in Catalonia, where nationalist parties are also set to win regional elections on November 25, issues such as fiscal and territorial autonomy dominate the agenda.

It is not yet clear who the Basque nationalist PNV will have to rely on to form a government. Political analysts said it may prefer to team up with the Socialist Party rather than with Bildu, which many see as linked to Basque separatist group ETA.

Opposition parties have accused the government of using the crisis to claw back powers from Spain's 17 autonomous regions, whose overspending was partly to blame for the failure of the country to meet its deficit targets last year.

The central government has offered funding to the regions in exchange for more control over local finances. So far, seven regions, including Catalonia, have said they would tap the liquidity line. The Basque Country is not expected to do so.

(Editing by Ralph Gowling and Jason Webb)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spains-pm-rajoy-wins-key-regional-vote-exit-183540111.html

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